Mother's Day

There is something sinister in using "mother"
as a curse word, but it is (with added F-word and without)
and I have heard it spoken back to me with venom,
meant to put me in my place by those who think they
do not owe me anything as lofty as respect. I never
used the formal term while growing up, preferring
"Mama." My own kids addressed their "Mom" with
what I like to think was always love. No matter the
reality, of course, there is a special place for those
who bore us, raised us, did without so we would have
the best of what we needed, sometimes settled for
a different life than they had always dreamed of so
that we might have a better chance to find our own.
It honors them, we know, to call them on this special
day or send a card or hand the bright bouquet, but
even more, I think, it honors mothers when their kids are
brave enough to find their way to happiness and health,
the very thing all mothers hope for since their childrens' births.


(c) Ellen Gillette, 2014